Seeds of Destiny
Log Title: Seeds of Destiny Characters: Spike, Sparkplug Location: Portland Date: Sometime in 1984 TP: Flashback Summary: Early-May. Spike can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Summer vacation. Baseball, reading, maybe a job mowing lawns to get some extra money. And most important, being at the movie theater opening day for what appears to be nothing short of the best movie of all time... Ghostbusters! Unknown to Spike though, his father is shielding his two sons from the sobering fact that he is dangerously close to losing their home. One option remains. And that option will change the Witwicky family forver. As these very-real events are happening in the very ordinary Witwicky family, the Autobots and Decepticons continue their 4-million year-plus slumber, despite some recent seismic activity reported near Mt. St. Hilary. 1984... another year of suck for the Witwickys. Their only car dies, Sparkplug's single-income begins to erode with Spike and Buster's doctor bills. Now, facing a default on his mortgage, he manages to bide three months. The gig...an offshore oil rig. With some major fanagaling (sp?) Sparkplug has managed to talk with the principal of Spike's junior high school and his teachers. He's given the OK to pull him out of school. Spike's grades... though not Buster-level, are enough to give him an early three-week exit. Buster, age 9, will have to move in with Ron and Judy again... but this time, only for three months, not the six month nightmare of Burma... promise!. Now... just to tell Spike. Spike boogies home on his ten-speed. The drudgery of school has worn him out. But he's looking forward to a few hours of peace... listening to Def Leppard, maybe some Atari, but especially to finish reading a Stephen King book he managed to hide from his father. Unbenowst to Spike, a few letters in pink are on the kitchen counter with 'FINAL NOTICE' and 'COLLECTIONS PENDING', which can be seen through the whites of the envelopes. Sparkplug frowns, looking over the bills. When he was young and single, this would have been the dream job - massive pay for a relatively short stint. Now, however, raising two sons on his own, he has to make hard choices. Sparkplug has never flinched from hard choices in his life, but now that it involves his two children, it's a little more difficult. In Sparkplug's mind.. this is the only way. Get Spike on the oil rig, shuffle Buster off to Ron and Judy's. Spike goes into the fridge and pours some Kool-Aid lemonade into a glass. He goes to make a peanut butter sandwich and the sees dad. "Oh, heyah dad." Sparkplug looks at the stack of bills in one pile, and the lone job offer opened and laying next to them on the counter. Sparkplug forces a smile. "Hey, kiddo. How's, uh, school?" Due to Sparkplug's Jeremiah-like way of internalizing a lot of grief, Buster and Spike have absolutely no idea how close they are to losing their house. Spike shrugs and sniffs, "Boring...as usual. Can't wait for summer." Spike leans over on the counter. "Heyah...if Ron and Judy can watch Buster for a weekend, can we go campin' - there's this great lake I read about that's only 50 miles from here!" Sparkplug's grin broadens. "Well, I actually have good news on that front." Maybe this part of informing the brothers would go OK, at least. Spike grins. "Oh?!" Sparkplug asks rhetorically, "Have you ever been out to sea on a big oil rig?" Spike thinks...then shakes his head. "Nope..." Sparkplug says with exaggerated excitement, "Well, we're in luck -- I got a job on one, and got permission from your principal to take you with me! Summer vacation's coming early after all!" Sparkplug smiles hopefully, watching Spike for a reaction. Spike 's smile isn't nearly as big as Sparkplug wants it to be, but he plays along. "Cool! So like...we'll be there for a few weeks?" (the job will place Spike back in school a week after school starts). Sparkplug says, "Nope! Three months! You'll get the whole summer off, and we'll have you back the first week of the school year." Sparkplug has seen the look Spike just gave him - it was a flicker - but it looked like he just was kicked in the gut. He quickly recovers, but the look of disappointment can't be erased from Sparkplug's mind. "Oh...awesome!" Sparkplug frowns, feeling he's losing Spike's buy-in in spite of his son's fake enthusiasm. More seriously, he says, "Look, son. I don't like to burden you and your brother, but I need this job, and it will be good for our family. I had to pull some strings to bring you along, but I couldn't leave you both here for that long without seeing you -- there's not really a way to visit once I'm out there. I know you'll miss your friends, but I'd really like you to come with." Sparkplug pauses, then presses on. "It's your choice, of course. If you want, you can stay with Ron and Judy." The foreman Sparkplug spoke with also had a cryptic message for Sparkplug: "If you're going to bring a stowaway, the only way you could EVEN get away with it is if he blends in with everyone else. That means he works the 10-hour shifts just like everyone else! How you do it, I don't wanna know, but that's the only way it'll fly." Spike pauses and thinks thoughtfully. "I...wouldn't get in the way?" He raises a skeptical brow. Sparkplug says, "Nope -- you'll be working as well, alongside your old man!" Sparkplug frowns, not wanting to get the bad part, but not wanting to delude Spike any further. Sparkplug says, "The bad thing is... your brother's too young to go. He'll have to stay here. If you want, you can stay with him at Ron and Judy's but... I'd really like you to come with me." Spike 's shoulders slump even more. WORK?! Summer?! Ghostbuster's is coming out. So's Gremlins! So's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom! But...it's family. Unknown to Spike, a distant relative has already instilled the value of hard work into him and Sparkplug...no sactifice... Spike nods finally. "When should I start packing?" Sparkplug looks surprised at Spike's quick decision-making. That's his boy. "Soon, although I need to talk to your brother first." He frowns, not expecting the conversation to go quite as well. Spike nods and steels his spine. "Yes sir..." Spike makes a face "Uh...these oil rigs...do they like...have movie screens...for when you have time off?" (time off...offshore drilling...wow, is he in for a hellacious summer) Sparkplug's smile faintly returns. "Good. Don't say anything to your brother for now... I should talk to him myself." At Spike's question, however, that ghost of a smile disappears. "'Fraid not, Spike. They have a TV, but from what I've heard only get UHF reception on clear days. It's going to be work, son." Spike 's smile fades again. If Sparkplug gets a glimmer from Spike's face, he can see the same reaction he registered when his dad made him write the Old Testament...by hand. Also, Sparkplug's declaration "...it's going to be work" gives a death-parlor like ring. Sparkplug says, "Cheer up, kid. It'll make you a man. Maybe when we get back, I can use some of that money to buy you a car. It'll be a junker, but your old man might be pursuaded to help you fix it up, and maybe soup it up a little." Spike shakes his head, now pissed off at how he looks so selfish in front of his dad. "Heyah! No, I'm not bummed at all! It's just..." think...think...think...think... GAME: Spike PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of Average difficulty. You say, "...a surprise! But a good one!" He grins at his dad. "Yeah...it'll be awesome. You'll show me how to use the equipment?!"" Sparkplug says, "Of course! On the rig, and then back home in the garage. You'll have your own car to maintain and modify. Maybe someday you can join the family business... Sparkplug & Son... I like the sound of it." Spike pauses and says hopefully "Or...I could write book about this... write about every day I'm out to sea. Or both!" With the loss of Susan, Spike has felt the burden of having to be the 'cheerleader' of the family. Trying to keep his father's spirits up as well as Buster's - at the expense of his own feelings. He gives a toothy grin to his dad. "I can't wait!" Sparkplug says, "Great! You should have plenty of time to journal... not a lot of distractions out on the rig!" Inside Spike's mind right now is the sound of games of baseball at the school's baseball field being scratched, days at the pool being eliminated, and every 'must see movie' being eliminated. Sparkplug tries to push that silver lining, wanting Spike's enthusiasm to be real. Spike nods, his planning tendencies begin to take over. He points to his room. "You know...I'm so excited...I'm going to...go to my room and start making a list of what to pack! Is that cool?" Sparkplug nods. "Sure. Just don't let Buster see what you're doing until I talk to him. I'l try to do that soon..." Sparkplug isn't usually a 'try' guy... he's a doer. Buster's reaction ... 'You're spending the summer with Ron and Judy' will be equally as painful, but in a far different way as Buster's likely enthusiasm is a bit TOO great, almost like Buster would prefer to spend the time at the laissez-faire, but almost militaristic structure of Ron and Judys. Spike shoots another grin through his pained face. He raises his hands to give dad a 'high-five' "OK! Let's do this! Sparkplug and Sons!" Sparkplug chuckles, returning the high five. 'Sons,' right. He hopes Buster won't be angry at the news... Spike goes into his room and collapses into his bed. He pulls out a fresh journal and writes "May 4th, 1984. Worst Summer Ever...Day 1..." Spike scribbles "My baseball glove won't be used this summer. I can't see 'Ghostbusters', I'm going to be put to work for FOUR months on an oil rig! Dad must really need this job. I feel like crud that I'm even complaining. HE's the one who is having to support us. I dunno...maybe I can help. But I can guarantee...with no kids around, this is going to be the most boring summer ever designed by God. Maybe dad'll teach me how to operate one of the cranes."